An interview with DCI Logan author, JD Kirk
An interview with DCI Logan author, JD Kirk
When I’m not writing about my characters, I miss them
An interview with DCI Logan author, JD Kirk
We caught up with crime writing sensation JD Kirk, before his appearance, alongside novelist Rachel Abbott, at our opening event on Friday the 13th of September, at 3pm.
You’re appearing alongside Rachel Abbott at Bloody Scotland at our opening event. What can bloody Scotland fans can expect from the event?
Generally, whenever I do any of these events, I absolutely wing it, and so I’m no way prepared. I never prepare for any of them. I think it’s better when it’s more spontaneous. I’ve met Rachel before. We were actually on a panel together just prior to me switching to crime fiction. She was talking about her crime books, and I was talking about a comedy science fiction series that I wrote called Space Team. I remember telling her at the time that I was looking at writing a crime novel, and Rachel, and author LJ Ross, who was also on the panel, were both very, very encouraging. I’ve not seen Rachel since, so it’ll be good to catch up and say, look, I did it!
You’ll be discussing your latest book, A Killer of Influence at the festival, can you tell us about the inspiration behind the book?
The book comes out on the 12th of September – just the day before my event. We have hardbacks in stock, ready to go, so someone will get the first signed copy of the novel at Bloody Scotland.
The book is about social media and how beauty spots in places like the Highlands are being taken over by social media users and influencers. Take Glenfinnan, for example. It’s a tiny little village which the Glenfinnan Viaduct runs through and has done for hundreds of years – but now it’s just the ‘Harry Potter Bridge’. Locals are being driven demented by people coming up dressed in robes so they can take pictures of themselves in front of the bridge as the Hogwarts Express goes across it. Visitors are parking in people’s driveways and destroying verges and all kinds of stuff. That sort of thing is happening more and more not just across the Highlands, but across lots of rural places. There’s this sense of entitlement that I think both the internet and Covid have given people. And that’s what first inspired the idea behind A Killer of Influence.
The book is about a group of social media influencers who are at a convention in the Highlands and go missing. Broadcasts start playing on their social media profiles showing them locked up in cages and being made to perform for their lives, basically. It’s probably the darkest book I’ve written so far, but it’s also got lots of humour in it. The humour is the kind of thing that attracts a lot of people to the series, and that’s what makes it enjoyable to write. I couldn’t just write, you know, relentlessly bleak stuff.
Where did your character DCI Jack Logan come from?
I would say he’s kind of a wish fulfilment thing. He can say things that I can’t say out of politeness. I’m too nice! I think a lot of Logan is me, but with that nice bit and my politeness dialled down and the rest of it dialled up. He’s also the same height as me which is no coincidence!
What compels you to write crime fiction?
Well, I actually started off writing children’s books. I wrote kids’ books for 10 years for Harper Collins and Penguin and various others. But for me, whatever I write has always just been about characters and people and how they interact. Under the surface, a lot of my books are just about dysfunctional sort of families or groups of people that have come together and need to find a way to get along with each other. That’s what keeps me coming back to the DCI Logan series and my spinoff books. It’s about finding new ways to get those characters together and seeing what happens. I feel like I’m almost observing when I’m writing now because I know the characters really well.
When I’m not writing about them, I find myself missing the characters. Like my readers – I want to know what the characters have been getting up to and what’s been happening between books. The actual crime bit is almost secondary to me, and I think it is to a lot of my readers as well. I don’t often get people saying, oh, I love the mystery element. People will say, oh, I’m really sad about what happened to Ben, or, I can’t believe this has happened to Tyler, or whatever. One of my main police characters is pregnant with twins at the moment and I’ve had three or four people email me to say they’ve started knitting – for fictional babies that would never exist! Readers get really invested in the characters – and that’s what I love too.
What’s the best thing about Bloody Scotland?
It is such a celebration of crime fiction. It really feels like a celebration – and not like a festival. A lot of festivals feel quite dry but Bloody Scotland – with its quiz nights and karaoke and whatever else is going on – feels like quite a joyous thing.
JD Kirk will be at the festival this year to talk about his novel, A Killer of Influence on Friday the 13th of September at 3pm
Apply to Volunteer
Bloody Scotland wouldn’t run without the dedication of eager volunteers, keeping the crowds safe, the tech running and the authors guided. Every year we look for Front of House Assistants, Author Hospitality Assistants, Author Signing Assistants and Festival Marketing Assistants to help out our busy team.
2024 applications will open soon.
Support Us
Bloody Scotland, Scotland’s international crime writing festival is an independent, not for profit charity, established in 2011 to present the very best of Scottish and international crime writing. We rely on a combination of sponsorship, grants, box office and donations to support our activity.
A criminally good catch up with AA Chaudhuri
A criminally good catch up with AA Chaudhuri
An interview with novelist, AA Chaudhuri
This week, we caught up with novelist AA (Alex) Chaudhuri who is the author of the new thriller, Under Her Roof. Alex, who will be at the festival on Saturday the 14th of September to discuss her latest book, will appear alongside CM Ewan and BA Paris, at our Everyday Extraordinary event.
How did you become a novelist?
Like most authors, I always loved reading. I was an only child, so I always had my nose buried in a book. In the back of my mind, I think I always knew I’d like to be an author, but things took a different turn, as they do in life. I used to play tennis professionally, so that was my life for about 13 years. But I always had a book with me on the tour!
I went back and did my A Levels and then went to law school but I knew by the time I was three years qualified that I wasn’t really enjoying it. I had my first child, and I knew that I wanted to spend more time with the kids and I’d had this book idea in my head for a long time. When I was pregnant with my second child, I started writing and it just sort of felt right.
You’ll be appearing alongside CM Ewan and BA Paris, what can Bloody Scotland fans expect from the event?
I’m so excited about it. Our panel is about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And I think that’s what makes the psychological thriller so compelling. It takes ordinary people and very ordinary circumstances and looks at the worst thing that could happen! I think that’s what makes psychological thrillers so relatable for readers. They tend to explore issues we can all relate to, but then take things down a dark path! I think that’s what makes it so exciting because we can all see ourselves going down a dark path sometimes. We’re all fallible human beings and we try to live within morally acceptable boundaries, but the characters in our novels tend not to.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest book, Under Her Roof?
My novel is about a landlord and tenant, which is a very ordinary situation that many of us have been in – most of us have been tenants at one point, I’m sure. But what struck me about that particular setup was the fact that they’re both strangers to each other. So, you don’t know what the other person’s past is, or what they’re hiding. And that’s the other thing in psychological thrillers – a lot of it is about what people keep back, behind that facade. It’s all about the secrets that people keep and the things they don’t show to the outside world. You don’t know what your next-door neighbour might have been up to – that’s what makes it so thrilling, I think.
I chose to base the book in Hampstead because I know that area quite well. I used to live in northwest London, so it was an area I was very familiar with. Hampstead’s supposed to be quite a rich, affluent, nice area of London. And I thought that would provide quite a lot of dramatic irony because my characters are in this amazing house where they should feel incredibly safe but of course it’s anything but! I really like the idea of that juxtaposition – something very dark happening somewhere very beautiful.
What compels you to write crime thrillers?
I just find them really exciting. For me it’s a real challenge. I love constructing puzzles. I love trying to fool readers and getting them to guess what’s going on. I love the red herrings and all the twists and the turns. I love to be shocked, and I love to shock my readers as well. I think that’s really exciting. There’s just so many challenges to crime writing.
I also love the way the genre comments on society. A lot of it is about human nature, about what drives people to do the things they do. Human nature is not all black and white, circumstances can drive people to do terrible things. I think crime writers and psychological thriller writers show the good and the bad and try to give even their bad characters some sort of redeeming qualities. I think readers appreciate that. They don’t want all perfect characters.
Is this your first time at Bloody Scotland?
Yes – I’m so excited. I’ve visited Edinburgh and Glasgow, and I’m really excited to go to Stirling too. I’ve heard so many nice things about the festival. I’ve seen all the photos, and it seems like such a friendly crowd. It’s one of the biggest crime fiction festivals in the world, so I’m really honoured to have been asked. I can’t wait to be a part of it.
AA Chaudhuri will be at the festival this year to talk about her novel, Under Her Roof at our Everyday Extraordinary panel on Saturday the 14th of September at 10am.
Apply to Volunteer
Bloody Scotland wouldn’t run without the dedication of eager volunteers, keeping the crowds safe, the tech running and the authors guided. Every year we look for Front of House Assistants, Author Hospitality Assistants, Author Signing Assistants and Festival Marketing Assistants to help out our busy team.
2024 applications will open soon.
Support Us
Bloody Scotland, Scotland’s international crime writing festival is an independent, not for profit charity, established in 2011 to present the very best of Scottish and international crime writing. We rely on a combination of sponsorship, grants, box office and donations to support our activity.
BLOODY SCOTLAND REVEALS 10th ANNIVERSARY PROGRAMME
Stirling 15-18 September 2022
We are very exciting to announce our 10th anniversary programme!
Ten years on from the first Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival the run has extended to four days, the number of events has doubled and the authors are more diverse than ever.
2022 sees the return of several Bloody Scotland favourites that we haven’t seen since the pre-pandemic days of 2019. Our dramatic torchlit procession through Stirling historic old town led by the pipes and drums of the Royal Burgh of Stirling Pipe Band and Stirling and District Schools Pipe Band encourages locals who don’t normally attend literary events to get involved. Scotland tackle England in our crime writers’ football match at the new venue of King’s Park, a free fun event which is also aimed at breaking down barriers. There will be a return of the ever-popular Crime at the Coo cabaret featuring an array of crime writers showing off their musical talents and the much-loved Quiz this year takes the form of Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee’s ‘Red Hot Night of a Million Games’ in which they steal the best bits from the game shows of yesteryear and mash them up into something truly remarkable.
Val McDermid has described Bloody Scotland as a ‘dizzying weekend of pleasure’, Jake Kerridge talking on BBC Radio 4 praised Bloody Scotland for ‘thinking outside the box’ creating ‘a sort of fringe’ and William McIlvanney spoke fondly of it being ‘so friendly, so welcoming’. It is with great delight that we look forward to putting on that sort of inclusive, imaginative festival again to celebrate our 10th Anniversary.
In addition to the headliners we are welcoming to Stirling such as Sir Ian Rankin, Anthony Horowitz, Lisa Unger, Jeffrey Archer, Ann Cleeves and Frankie Boyle, debuts are at the heart of what Bloody Scotland is all about. The very first festival featured a ‘Fresh Blood Panel’ and this year in addition to the ‘Bloody Scotland Debut Prize Panel’ we have ‘Alex Gray’s New Crimes Panel’ plus debut authors appearing in various events throughout the programme and twenty new authors appearing ‘In the Spotlight’ on stage ahead of the established names.
We continue our commitment to bring the festival to the wider world and those who can’t make it to Stirling can buy digital passes for individual events or the whole weekend. Val McDermid, David Baldacci, Sara Paretsky, Donna Leon and Irvine Welsh will all join us live for digital sessions. More information about which events will be available to watch on-line can be found at bloodyscotland.com/digital-pass
Alan Bett, Head of Literature and Publishing at Creative Scotland said:
‘Much has changed in the decade since Bloody Scotland launched their first festival, in terms of Scottish crime writing and literature festivals more generally. This 10th anniversary programme is not only the biggest, it also embraces a hybrid model that means a wider audience can engage with authors either on stage or on screen. Bloody Scotland continues to promote the highly popular genre of Scottish crime writing to the world, while also connecting Scottish readers to the work of both new and much loved authors.’
James Crawford, Chair of Bloody Scotland said:
‘It’s fantastic to be able to mark the 10th anniversary of the festival with a full, four-day programme of in-person events - along with a brilliant selection of digital offerings - featuring the best that crime writing has to offer. Bloody Scotland was established a decade ago to shine a spotlight on crime writing and to help develop a whole new generation of writers. Debut authors have always been central to this, and to the vibrant community that has grown up around the festival. Along with the excitement of seeing familiar faces comes the thrill of finding your new favourite writer. Bloody Scotland 2022 is a festival full of possibilities and discovery.’
Stirling Councillor Leader, Councillor Chris Kane said:
‘The fact that Bloody Scotland is now enjoying its 10th Anniversary is a welcome plot development for a festival that has grown into one of Stirling’s most loved events. Bloody Scotland has brought a wide range of visitors into Stirling over the years while making sure Stirling residents are an integral part of the occasion, such as the spectacular torchlit procession that lights up our city centre.’
Bloody Scotland is Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival, providing a showcase for the best crime writing from Scotland and the world, unique in that it was set up by a group of Scottish crime writers in 2012.
The festival takes place in various venues (including The Albert Halls, The Tollbooth and the social hub of the festival, The Golden Lion Hotel) in the historic town of Stirling from 15-18 September 2022.
The Bloody Scotland Prize for Scottish Crime Writing first awarded in 2012 was renamed The McIlvanney Prize in 2016. The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was introduced in 2019 and won by Claire Askew who this year made the McIlvanney longlist along with Deborah Masson who won the Debut Prize in 2020.
In 2018 Bloody Scotland began a partnership with Harvill Secker to encourage new crime writers of colour. The winner of the inaugural prize was Ajay Chowdhury and in December 2021 it was won by Dettie Gould with The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin.
In order to maintain a year-round presence Bloody Scotland set up the Bloody Scotland Book Club in Spring 2021. The panel rotates every month and those on the panel take responsibility for choosing the three books which are discussed.
In 2017 Bloody Scotland partnered with Historic Environment Scotland to produce the Bloody Scotland book of short stories which has been reprinted for the 10th Anniversary and will be distributed free of charge throughout Stirling and the surrounding areas to encourage more engagement with Scottish crime fiction within the local community.
Bloody Scotland recently resurrected the short story competition which took place in the first year. The latest incarnation, sponsored by The Glencairn Glass with media support from The Scottish Field received over 132 entries from all over the world. Many previously unpublished. The winner was from Australia and was published in the Scottish Field Magazine.
To make the festival more affordable for everyone and mark our 10th Anniversary we’re offering a limited number of tickets at £5 each for 10 of our events (see bloodyscotland.com/10-at-5).
A 10% discount is available for all events in Stirling to people residing in the Stirling Council area. (see bloodyscotland.com/localdiscount)
In addition free standby tickets will be offered to the unemployed or those on low income on the day of the event if there is good availability (see bloodyscotland.com/standby)
We are committed to making Bloody Scotland an accessible festival. All of the venues are accessible by wheelchair and BSL interpretation is available at events on request. Email info@bloodyscotland.com A free shuttle bus between venues is available for those who need it. Seating is unreserved so please advise at time of booking if you require a wheelchair space or have any specific needs and we will do our best to accommodate them.
The Bloody Scotland board is made up of crime writers Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson, Gordon Brown and Abir Mukherjee, James Crawford (chair), Muriel Robertson (finance) and Catriona Reynolds (governance). PR, Marketing & Sponsorship is handled by Fiona Brownlee and Tim Donald of Brownlee Donald Associates. Social Media and the website is handled by Dawn Geddes.
Bloody Scotland receives vital funding from Creative Scotland, Stirling Council and Culture and Business Fund Scotland. We are also grateful to our many sponsors and supported including The Glencairn Glass, H W Fisher, Stirling Castle, Literary Tours in Egypt, Waterstones, The Open University in Scotland and Go Forth Stirling along with a wide range of publishers.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
McIlvanney Prize 2022 Longlist Announced!
We are delighted to announce the longlist for the McIlvanney Prize 2022. In Bloody Scotland’s 10th Anniversary year, it seems very fitting that a clear longlist of ten books emerged after the prize readers scores were tallied. Six years ago, the Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award was renamed the McIlvanney Prize in memory of William McIlvanney. The Prize recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing, and includes a prize of £1,000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones.
The longlisted titles are:
May God Forgive, Alan Parks (Canongate)
The Second Cut, Louise Welsh (Canongate)
A Rattle of Bones, Douglas Skelton (Polygon)
From the Ashes, Deborah Masson (Transworld)
A Matter of Time, Claire Askew (Hodder)
A Corruption of Blood, Ambrose Parry (Canongate)
The Heretic, Liam McIlvanney (Harpercollins)
Rizzio, Denise Mina (Polygon)
The Sound of Sirens, Ewan Gault (Leamington Books)
The Blood Tide, Neil Lancaster (Harpercollins)
The McIlvanney Prize will be judged by Ayo Onatade, winner of the CWA Red Herring Award and freelance crime fiction critic, Janice Forsyth, presenter of the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland and Ewan Wilson, crime fiction buyer from Waterstones Glasgow. The Glencairn Glass, the world’s favourite whisky glass, is again sponsoring both The McIlvanney Prize and The Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year for 2022.
Finalists for the McIlvanney Prize will be revealed at the beginning of September. The winner will be revealed in Stirling on Thursday 15 September.
The McIlvanney Prize recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing, includes a prize of £1000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones. Previous winners are Craig Russell with Hyde in 2021, Francine Toon with Pine in 2020, Manda Scott with A Treachery of Spies in 2019 (who chose to share her prize with all the finalists), Liam McIlvanney with The Quaker in 2018, Denise Mina with The Long Drop 2017, Chris Brookmyre with Black Widow 2016, Craig Russell with The Ghosts of Altona in 2015, Peter May with Entry Island in 2014, Malcolm Mackay with How A Gunman Says Goodbye in 2013 and Charles Cumming with A Foreign Country in 2012.
The initial longlisting is handled by over 100 crime fiction readers from all over Scotland including booksellers, bloggers, librarians and festival-goers and the longlist is then handed to the high-profile team of judges to decide on the eventual winner.
We have also revealed our Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2022.
You can find out more about each longlisted book here.
McIlvanney Prize 2017 judges!
We're excited to reveal the McIlvanney Prize 2017 judges as Susan Calman and Craig Sisterson, chaired by Lee Randall.
Susan said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to be on the judging panel for the McIlvanney Prize this year. I’m an avid fan of Scottish Crime fiction and this is less a chore and more a dream come true. I can’t wait to get stuck in, reading the wonderful books produced this year.’
She joins Lee Randall, last year a judge, now promoted to chair: ‘I was honoured to be asked to chair the judging panel for this year’s McIlvanney Prize. I’ve always known — and it was reinforced when I programmed this year's first Granite Noir festival, for Aberdeen — that crime writers and their readers are a special breed. I relish the opportunity to dive into a longlist created by these same readers. I suspect that this year’s panel will have tough choices to make, given the abundance of talent out there, but look forward to the challenge.’
They are joined by Craig Sisterson, founder of New Zealand’s Ngaio Marsh Awards who said: ‘William McIlvanney raised the crime writing bar for Scottish writers and those further afield. It's an absolute honour to be a judge for this year's McIlvanney Prize, which celebrates his outstanding legacy - as evidenced by the strength and quality of modern Scottish crime writing. I'm looking forward to some excellent reading and vigorous debate with my fellow judges.’
The prize is open for submissions until April 28th and full info can be found here: https://bloodyscotlstg.wpenginepowered.com/mcilvanney-prize-entry/
Tartan Noir in Kolkata
This month crime writers Lin Anderson and Doug Johnstone with Bloody Scotland chair Jenny Brown travelled to Kolkata to take part in the Literature Festival. We met writers, talked about translated literature and discussed the differences between Scottish and Indian crime fiction. The Festival is part of the huge Book Fair which attracts 2.5 million visitors. Big thanks to Esha Chatterjee of BEE Books and Artistic Director Sujata Sen for inviting us, and to British Council for making the visit possible.
For more about the visit, read Lin's blog and Doug’s blog.
Doug Johnstone's top 5 crime writers
McIlvanney Prize longlister Doug Johnstone told us his top 5 crime writers.
1. Megan Abbott
I think Abbott is just the best writer around at the moment. She writes dark, tense, atmospheric novels about the secrets and lies that hide in American suburbia. These are brilliant psychological thrillers, often revolving around teenage girls as they struggle to understand their place and power in the world.
2. James Sallis
Sallis’s Turner trilogy is the finest crime trilogy of all time, wonderfully laidback smalltown Americana with a dark underbelly. He’s also written amazing detective novels and some of the finest standalones around, including Drive, which got made into the movie with Ryan Gosling in the lead role. His latest, Willnot, is as good as anything he’s written.
3. Sara Gran
Gran writes really oddball crime novels, from the historical junkie book Dope to the psychological horror of Come Closer. Her Claire De Witt series is an existential detective masterclass, with the strongest female central character. She’s been writing for television recently, but I hope she gets back to books soon.
4. James M. Cain
I think Double Indemnity is my favourite ever novel. Such amazing dialogue, plot, character, setting, attitude, all crammed into a hundred pages! Just a grade A, classy writer. The Postman Always Rings Twice and Mildred Pierce are up there with the best ever novels too.
5. Don Winslow
Winslow’s The Power of the Dog and The Cartel are extraordinary examinations of the Mexican drug cartels, brutal and unforgiving in their bleakness. But he also writes poetically about crime and its repercussions, like in the wonderful Savages and The Kings of Cool.
Doug Johnstone will be appearing at Bloody Scotland in Writing Orkney on Sunday 11th Sept, 1:30pm and at our Scotland vs England football match.
Chris Brookmyre: Top Five Scots Whose Dark Secrets Will Inspire Future Crime Novels
Chris Brookmyre believes he has sussed the five Scots whose dark secrets will shape the future crime bestsellers.
Lorraine Kelly
Nobody is telling me that woman doesn't have a head in her fridge and a blood- spattered altar where she makes horrific sacrifices to a grotesque effigy of Paul Sturrock.
Nicola Sturgeon
Only bloodlines riven with true evil emerge from Dreghorn. She pursued a path to high office to ensure she had the power to suppress the truth about Ayrshire's hellmouth.
Ian Rankin
All that vinyl he buys is actually for melting down and coating his victims, House of Wax style.
Val McDermid
Workmen have to sign an NDA before they're allowed into her basement. It's a redundant measure as none of them ever recovers the power of speech.
Judith Ralston
The Scottish weather is HER FAULT. She has the power to control it but prefers to watch us suffer.
Chris will be at Bloody Scotland 2016 at the following events:
Mark Billingham and Chris Brookmyre, Friday 9th September, 8:30pm
Crime Writers Football Match: Scotland v England, Saturday 10th September, 2pm
Chris Brookmyre and Stuart Neville, Saturday 10th September, 5:30pm
How tartan is the new noir?
Think of things associated with Scotland and of course tartan is near the top of the list. But now there’s a new pattern being woven into the landscape. One that you don’t wear as a kilt or a shawl but a proud badge of honour on your bookshelves. Tartan Noir is of course something that anyone who loves Scottish crime writers and crime fiction set in Scotland will already know about. But did you know just how intricate the pattern of this tartan actually is?
If Tartan Noir were a picnic rug, it would be rich, intricately woven with dark threads running through it that you can’t always see immediately. It might look lovely but get closer and it’s coarse and unforgiving, with ragged edges that draw you in. Spend a time on the rug and before you know it, it’s wrapped itself around you, nice and tight. That’s it. Tartan Noir has got you in its grasp.
Enjoy your picnic…
Something quirky and tasty?
Matt Bendoris - Glasgow (on Booktrails)
If you like your quirky cities, then Matt Bendoris’ Glasgow is THE place to go. Matt knows the city like the back of his hand in his role of an award winning Scottish Sun journalist. Latest novel Wicked Leaks, inspired by WikiLeaks and the Edward Snowden revelations is the sequel to DM for Murder, a twitter inspired murder fest. He even wrote it on his Blackberry for goodness sake. Art imitating life etc. Genius really. It’s the Scottish wit which also packs a side splitting punch.
Glasgow grit in your sandwiches?
Bill Daly - Glasgow (on Booktrails)
Bill Daly’s Character Charlie Anderson is Glasgow Personified. He’s gritty, hard core and takes no nonsense. I would have said prisoners but then that’s his job as DCI. From his patch centered around Pitt Street station, he knows his city and you feel every footstep as he pounds the streets looking for the bad guys. Glasgow is his stomping ground but he does get a bit further afield when an investigation takes him across to Port Glasgow.
But whilst you can take the guy out of Glasgow, you can’t take Glasgow out of the guy. Not that I’d want to, role on book four!
A taste for heights?
Neil Broadfoot - Edinburgh (on Booktrails)
The Scott Monument in the middle of the city is famous for being a top tourist attraction and literary heritage marker. It’s the largest monument to a writer in the world and commemorates Sir Walter Scott.
However, if you go with Neil Broadfoot, it takes on a much more sinister appearance in Falling Fast. The city is awash with politicians and tourists - two of the very aspects Edinburgh is known for. Edinburgh’s position as capital city where national newspapers are based is brought into key relief as a city of bustling excitement so by the time they get to Skye in The Storm, Neil’s taken us on quite a journey.
A wee dram to finish?
Aline Templeton - Dumfries and Galloway (on Booktrails)
This is the woman who has not only Dumfries and Galloway on the literary map but her unique version of it. The village of Kirckluce is fictional but there is a Glenluce and plenty other villages in and around the area which have more than a starring role. And it’s the essence of the place which is infused onto each and every page.
Aline writes about small town Scotland - local development in Lamb to the Slaughter and Scottish folklore in the Third Sin. It’s this picture of a rich and varied landscape and cultural landscape that she paints so well.
So you see, Tartan Noir is a rich and varied tapestry with something for everyone. Four iconic writers in this panel alone but imagine what you find when you start digging into their back catalogue? Probably a body or two knowing this lot. Well it is Tartan Noir at Bloody Scotland after all!
Get your tickets to How Tartan Is Your Noir?: September 11th, 10am
This is the second post of the Booktrail blog takeover for a series of posts exploring where setting shapes a number of novels from authors attending Bloody Scotland this year.
Visit the booktrail for maps, travel guides and reviews for the books featuring in Bloody Scotland.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebooktrailer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebooktrail
Russel D McLean: Top 5 pulp novelists you (probably) haven’t read...but should
In our series of '5' themed blogs celebrating Bloody Scotland's fifth year, Russel D McLean reveals his top 5 pulp novelists that you probably haven't read but should.
5 – Robert Bloch
Appearing at number 5 because chances are you’ll know his name, and you might even have read his classic, Psycho (far darker than the movie) – and until recently that was all I knew, too. But a 2008 re-release by Hard Case Crime of two of his novels back to back (Shooting Star and Spider Web) showed that Bloch was a master of the pulp novel, with a mean line in prose and an eye for the seedier side of life.
4 – Ernest Tidyman
Even if you don’t know Tidyman, you’ll know his most famous creation, the black private dick, who was a sex machine to all the chicks: John Shaft. As well as writing the screen adaptation of Shaft and its first sequel, Shaft’s Big Score, Tidyman also wrote the script for The French Connection, and one of Chuck Norris’s earliest films, A Force of One. He only wrote seven novels, but when one of them’s Shaft, you have to tip your pulp hat to the man.
3 – Elleston Trevor
A prolific British pulp novelist, screenwriter, playwright (and quite possibly insomniac), Trevor wrote under several pseudonyms, including Simon Rattray, Caesar Smith and Lesley Smith, but was best known for his spy thrillers written under the name Adam Hall. I’ve only read one of Trevor’s books so far – The Runaway Man (1958) – which, as the back cover promised, had a “strange end” in which the protagonist lies “prone and chilled on the rotting hulk of a barge”, and I’m definitely on the lookout for more!
2 – Wade Miller
Branded Woman by Wade Miller (1952) has one of my favourite femme fatales in the enticing smuggler Cat Morgan, seeking revenge on the man who branded her. Miller is the pen name for Robert Wade and Bill Miller, who wrote a number of novels together, including Badge of Evil, which eventually became better known in movie form as Touch of Evil (1956).
1 – Richard S Prather
Prather was the author who started me collecting pulp novels many years ago, when I first stumbled across the beautiful Gold Medal edition of Always Leave ‘Em Dying. “Gals, guns, guys go round and around as SHELL SCOTT spins the wheel!” yelled the strapline, and right there I was hooked. Although Prather did some brilliant standalone novels (1952’s The Peddler comes to mind), it was Shell Scott with his white-blonde hair, steely gaze and snappy one liners who really captured the reader’s imaginations.
Russel D McLean will be appearing at Bloody Scotland this year in Scotland the Grave on Saturday 10th September at 12:15pm.
And When I Die is out on Kindle now and in paperback on September 8th.